Nectar of the Heart
An Experiential Song of Parting from the Four Attachments
by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo

Through the blessings of the noble Guru Manjughosha,
May all beings throughout the universe practise the sacred Dharma,
May they progress along the path and may any confusions on the path be pacified,
And may all their deluded perceptions arise as all-pervading space!

Though we have gained this rare support, the freedoms and advantages so hard to find,
If we are attached to this life, we are not sincere practitioners of Dharma,
And since things last but a moment and are bound to be destroyed,
Let us exert ourselves in practising virtue and avoiding harm.

Although our minds may be turned towards the sacred Dharma,
If we are attached to the three realms of samsara we lack renunciation.
So let us develop a genuine and uncontrived wish to escape
From this cycle of existence which is by its nature suffering.

Though we might pursue mere peace and happiness for ourselves,
If we are attached to our own self-interest, we lack bodhichitta.
So since all beings have been our kind mothers and fathers,
Let us train our minds in love, compassion and bodhichitta.

Although we might be well trained in relative bodhichitta,
If there is grasping in our perception, it means we lack the view.
Therefore, in order that we may cut through the view of self,
Let us rest in all-pervading space, beyond conceptual constructs.

Through the merit of this spontaneous song of whatever came to mind,
Gathering and distilling the advice given by the venerable Manjughosha
To the glorious and benevolent one, the great Kunga Nyingpo,
May all sentient beings, my past mothers, swiftly attain awakening!

This was written by the carefree wanderer Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo in the Dharma centre of glorious Sakya, the source of plentiful precious qualities, in the very place where noble Manjughosha appeared to the great Sakyapa lama and bestowed this teaching, the cave of Rangjung Dorje’i Drak.